You Cannot Preach Accountability and Run From It — P.K. Sarpong Challenges Okudzeto Ablakwa

P.K. Sarpong, a writer affiliated with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has challenged Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to provide further documentary evidence to address questions raised by the Minority over the GH¢49.7 million spent on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa. He insists that the minister must be prepared to face the same level of public scrutiny he has previously demanded of others, arguing that threats of defamation proceedings cannot replace transparency and accountability.

In a post shared on his official Facebook page on November 3, 2026, Sarpong accused Ablakwa of failing to adequately address what he described as discrepancies in the accounts presented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the evacuation exercise. He questioned why someone who had built a political reputation as an anti-corruption campaigner and advocate for transparency would appear reluctant to respond to questions about the management of public funds.

Sarpong recalled that Ablakwa announced that the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa cost the country GH¢49,721,786. According to the figures presented by the minister, the amount comprised GH¢33,721,786 in direct government funding and GH¢16 million in support from Engineers & Planners.

However, Sarpong cited the Minority’s claim that an examination of more than 200 pages of documents obtained from the ministry through the Right to Information (RTI) process had identified GH¢16,423,470 in expenditure requiring further reconciliation. He outlined several areas in which the Minority believes additional explanations and supporting documents are necessary.

One of the issues concerns the payment of reintegration and transport allowances to the evacuees. Sarpong said Ablakwa indicated that each of the 1,964 Ghanaians received GH¢5,000 as reintegration support and GH¢500 as transport allowance, bringing the total to GH¢10,802,000. However, according to the Minority’s analysis, only 824 names could be matched across the two payment registers, leaving 1,140 beneficiaries whose combined payments of GH¢6.27 million require further documentary explanation.

He also raised questions about expenditure on commercial flights, explaining that the Minority’s examination identified 926 passengers on chartered flights and only 247 passengers in the commercial-flight records it reviewed. This leaves 791 passengers requiring reconciliation against the official evacuation figure of 1,964, while the Minority estimates that approximately GH¢7.18 million of the stated GH¢9,420,463.68 commercial-flight expenditure requires further explanation.

Another concern highlighted by Sarpong involves alleged duplicate entries, blank and unsigned records, and the inclusion of 442 minors in the reintegration register. He argued that these issues require clarification, particularly regarding how payments were authorised, received and recorded, and whether the relevant supporting documents could be made available for independent verification.

Sarpong also drew attention to what he described as a discrepancy in the Minority’s own figures. He noted that two different amounts, GH¢16,423,470 and GH¢16,302,586, had been cited as expenditure requiring further reconciliation, leaving a difference of GH¢120,884. He maintained that this difference must also be explained, stressing that accountability requires accuracy from all parties involved.

The NPP-affiliated writer acknowledged that Ablakwa had disputed the Minority’s findings and maintained that all 1,964 evacuees had been accounted for. He further noted that the minister had presented different passenger figures, stating that 956 people travelled on chartered flights while 1,008 used commercial flights, and had indicated that the ministry possessed airline receipts, boarding passes and passenger manifests to support its records.

Sarpong therefore challenged the minister to make those documents available for independent scrutiny so that the issues could be settled through verifiable evidence. He argued that Ghanaians deserve a clear account of how public funds were spent, insisting that the money involved belongs to the state and not to any individual public official.

He further warned that citizens would not abandon legitimate questions about public expenditure because of threats of litigation or attempts at intimidation. According to him, nobody should be presumed guilty without evidence, but public officials must also understand that holding public office does not place them beyond scrutiny.

Concluding his criticism, Sarpong maintained that accountability should not be a standard applied only to political opponents but an obligation owed to every Ghanaian. He argued that the most appropriate response to questions about the South African evacuation expenditure would be transparency, documentary evidence and verifiable explanations rather than threats of defamation proceedings.

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